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Here's How You Applied for Biden's Student Loan Relief

By
Ward Williams
Ward Williams
Full Bio

Ward Williams is an Associate Editor focused on student loans and other financial products and services. He has five years of professional editing, proofreading, and writing experience. Ward regularly contributes to stories about government policy and company profiles. He received his B.A. in English from North Carolina State University and his M.S. in publishing from New York University.

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Updated February 25, 2023

President Biden's student debt relief program is blocked until the Supreme Court rules on whether it can move forward, so you cannot apply for the relief at this time.

Applications for student loan forgiveness briefly opened in late 2022, and if you already applied your application will be held until the court's ruling.

Key Takeaways

  • Applications for student debt relief are closed pending a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on whether the program is legal.
  • If the program is approved, up to $20,000 in student debt relief may be available for eligible Pell Grant recipients.
  • Non-Pell Grant recipients could receive as much as $10,000.
  • The application didn't require an FSA ID, only basic personal information.
  • Borrowers who earned less than $125,000 (or less than $250,000 for families) in 2020 or 2021 would be eligible for debt relief.
  • Proof of income was not required for the application.

The Application Process

The Biden Administration announced several measures in 2022 to help student loan borrowers, including debt cancellation of up to $20,000 for recipients of Pell Grants and up to $10,000 for non-Pell Grant recipients. However, that program has been blocked until the U.S. Supreme Court determines whether it is legal.

You can no longer apply for relief until the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling. However, millions of borrowers have already applied. Those applications will be held until the court's ruling.

Before applications were halted, here's how you could have applied for your student loan forgiveness:

  1. Open the Federal Student Aid application web page. You didn't need to log in with an FSA ID and the application was available in both English and Spanish.
  2. Enter your full name, date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), phone number, and e-mail address into the relevant input areas.
  3. Double-check that all of your information was correct, click on the box near the bottom of the application, and then click on the blue "Submit" button.

What to Keep in Mind

This student debt relief would only be available for individual borrowers who earned less than $125,000 (or less than $250,000 for families) in 2020 or 2021.

When you applied, you didn't have to provide proof that you met one of these requirements in order to complete your application. By checking the box near the bottom of the page, you were "[certifying] under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that all of the information provided on this form is true and correct."

The Department of Education said it would compare your information with loan and income data that's already on file. Should it find any discrepancies, the Education Department planned to work with borrowers to secure additional documentation.

If you have submitted the application, your loan servicer will notify you when your relief has been processed if the program is approved by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Article Sources
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.

  1. Federal Student Aid. "Apply for Federal Student Loan Debt Relief."

  2. The White House. "Fact Sheet: President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most."